Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Very little to like here other than not being offensive.
Not my style. This sounds like the type of music some of my nerdier friends back in high school were listening to in the late 80's/early 90's. I don't hate it, but I won't be listening to this again.
First of all, absolutely terrible band name. Tried to get into the album, which I could not.
Ja men det här är som regel något jag gillar. My Kingdom var bra. I övrigt ganska sådär. Hade de inte en hit med någon technolåt på 90-talet.Den var kul.
Hör direkt att detta inte kommer vara nåt för mig. La la la. Hoppas på nån enstaka bra låt. Vi får se. Andra låten är bättre. Men gillar inte sången. Övertydlig och teatralisk. Under a killing moon känner jag igen. Undrar från var. Det är en bra låt annars. Överlag, meh. Ok. Inte min kopp te riktigt.
Inte lyssnat på förut men jag gillade det här. The killing moon är riktigt bra och gillar 3-4 låtar utöver den. Resten är också helt okej. Svag fyra.
Para ser un grupo que empezó con una caja de ritmos llamada "Echo" la orquestación de este disco desde el primer tema es impresionante. Lo mejor está al final: The killing moon, Seven seas, My kingdom y la primera, Silver, también buena.
Standard, middle-of-the-line British 80's pop. It's alright but I wouldn't listen again in a hurry.
1984 Music mainstay - a good listen and doesn't seem it is 40+ years! Still fresh!
Apart from a couple of tracks I enjoyed this album
An album that's well on its way to 3 star forgettability and then boom, Killing Moon forces the adjustment.
I like the "lighthearted impending doom" feel throughout this album. It's incredibly weird, but not necessarily bad. I first noticed it in Nocturnal Me, a strange kind of sea shanty with a foreboding chord progression (lots of diminished chords) and yet a gentle, childlike texture of light acoustic instruments. Lots of orchestral strings are used in combination with Spanish guitar(?). The feel is subtler in other tracks – such as The Yo Yo Man, where the medium-tempo swung rhythm and low vocals create a subtle ominousness that's otherwise obscured by the joyful vocals. Thorn of Crowns is similar. Cool juxtaposition between carefree and ominous elements, but I wish they'd picked one or the other. The whole album experience is kind of shaky. But I'll come out and say it again: claiming you're standing up against the "music elite" by creating (deliberately bad) punk/post-punk music is only a sound idea if you're actually good at playing your instrument. And nowhere is this rule broken more egregiously than in post-punk vocals. Echo & the Bunnymen is no exception. Tracks like Crystal Days and The Yo Yo Man are only listenable for their instrumentalists – and nearly unlistenable for their untrained, out-of-tune vocalist. ... Okay, it's not that bad – in fact, at times, it's almost Jim Morrison-esque (but more out of tune) – but it's bad enough in its post-punk context that I should point it out. The exception is The Killing Moon; I actually really like the singing there. The Killing Moon is also a standout track for its very thick, ongoing sonic texture. Reminds me of Radiohead. Hard to explain why, but it sounds great. The following track, Seven Seas, is also strong. A bit reminiscent of early Bowie (1970/1). Close call between 3 and 4. I do like it more than Porcupine, which I gave a 3. I'll give this a high 3. 3/5 Key tracks: Silver, The Killing Moon, Seven Seas
I always enjoy an album that's shorter than 45 minutes. Besides that, this is fun pop-rock. It's hard not to compare Echo & The Bunnymen to The Cure, but I think I prefer the former. Highlight track on this album for me is My Kingdom.
Nocturnal Me The Killing Moon Seven Seas Ocean Rain Refreshing change of pace. Enjoyed the listen as it was simple and easy to listen to. Felt different in a way I can’t describe.
It was quite good. I enjoyed it.
That's gotta be the most enjoyable Echo album that I've heard.
After reading what Echo themselves thought of this album I removed a Star. He literally described this as THE greatest album ever.
i know this is foundational, but i find it kinda boring.
One extra star as a shout out to the great nothing. Everything is everything is everything.
OK, I can tolerate it. \"Yo Yo Man\" Very computerized.
Wow! Heard of this group but never really listened to them. Well composed, intersting to listen to. The orchestra really fills out the sound. This one goes on my buy list.
Yes, drama-kid, I see you. You're very dark and mysterious. Don't forget your lunchbox.
80s British post punk with some killer song writing.
Fuck yes, The Killing Moon is some good shit! Rest of the album pretty mediocre to me, but seemingly inspirational.
Fairly non eventful indie. Wasn't what i was expecting
Getting rather bored with this
A few bops but a lot of goofy overwrought tracks.
One awesome song does not make a good album.
A cassette from my youth. Didn't get much play - Killing Moon and Seven Seas aside. Clearly so, as I didn't recognise any of the other songs.
Decent. Nothing to dislike about it but didn’t love it either.
Another Echo and the Bunnymen album on this list, and just like the previous ones, another album that I will never think about again.
good enough album nothing special
kind of didn't mind any of the songs but also didn't love them. Killing Moon is always a good song though.
soooo good i love u echo and the bunmymen 🩷 sad i cant go to their concert this summer bc the venue is no minors 😭
Trying symphonic Rock to Post Punk and failing both. Most well known song might be "The Killing Moon" (movie Donnie Darko").
Yet another 80s/90's British band. Post-Punk / New Wave, blah blah blah. At least I've heard of these guys, though I can't think of anything by them. So why is this a "must listen to album"? Per wikipedia, it was "released to mixed reviews.", the follow-up to "the poor reception" of their previous album. Parke Puterbaugh of Rolling Stone rated the album two out of five stars and described it as "too often a monochromatic dirge of banal existential imagery cloaked around the mere skeleton of a musical idea". So it wasn't critically acclaimed. It hit #4 in UK, but only 87 in USA, not exactly a popular juggernaut. It carries a 3.19 rating here, pretty weak. Anyway, upon listening, I find just what I expected (feared?). 2/5
Ian McCulloch and Julian Cope were originally together in a band called A Shallow Madness. In 1978, Ian and Julian broke up to go their separate ways. I followed Julian on his journey with the Teardrop Explodes, so never really much liked the Bunnymen (they were “the other side”). As a result I never really gave the Bunnymen the listening time they deserved. Listening to this album now all these years later was surprisingly enjoyable. Ians voice sounds like a weird mixture between Bono and Julian. Good orchestration on some of the songs. Strong album with interesting songs but The Killing Moon is easily the standout.
It's OK, not a huge fan of the New Wave sounding vocals. But The Killing Moon is a classic, so that was nice to hear.
3.5/5 - it kinda sounds like something that would be used in the credits sequence of a Regular Show episode. By the seventh track I was done being able to give the album my full undivided attention as there isn't a lot interesting going on musically. What's there is solid, but it's nothing revolutionary imo
2.5
im getting tired of every other album on this list sounding the same even if it's decent.
back to Uni days with this one, still sounds great
Echo and his Bunnymen have shown up a few times now. And I’m not mad about it. I love their music. The Killing Moon is one of my all-time favourite gothic emo 80s songs. The rest of the songs here fit perfectly with it and are enjoyable too. And this album cover is a gorgeous piece of stunning artwork. It encapsulates the whole tone of this album perfectly. This album, when in the right frame of mind, scratches a very deep itch.
Man this list really loves British post punk bands. Like most of them, nothing I hate here, but nothing that really speaks to me. Just straight down the middle of the road.
Was going to give this a one. The album as a whole is forgettable. But the Killing Moon is so amazing. The song on its own is a 4. Bumped the whole album to a 2.
The Killing Moon is one of my all time favorite songs.
Hard to pinpoint why this is so great. Probably how it seems to have overachieved in all that it attempted.
C-c-c-cucumber C-c-c-cabbage C-c-c-cauliflower Echo and the Bunnymen is one of my favorite post-punk bands and I don't think they get nearly as much recognition as they should. That said, I enjoy this album, but I don't think it's their best as everyone else seems to. I prefer Crocodiles, Porcupine, and Heaven Up Here over this one. A lot of Ocean Rain is really good. Silver, The Killing Moon, Seven Seas, My Kingdom, and Ocean Rain are all great songs. It's not that there's a bad song on the album, but I do think it gets a little melodramatic — it veers a little too far into Neil Diamond territory for me at times. And some of the lyrics are just okay — Thorn of Crowns referenced in my opening, for example, is just bizarre (I know that's the point). Nocturnal Me is almost Shakespearean in its double entendres, and while it's a good song, it's not even a little bit subtle (again, nothing wrong with it, but they have better songs). I'll give this one a 4 because I do still really enjoy this band, and the album is very good. It's not their best, though. 4/5
Bands from Northern England always have the biggest egos. Joking aside, the Killing Moon has had a big impact on my life.
Ça sonne surprenament différent des deux autres albums que j'ai eu d'eux. C'est très proto-indie selon moi. Beaucoup de moments sonnent très proche des débuts d'Arcade Fire. En général ça sonne quand même en avance sur son temps. Pas époustouflé, mais je respecte l'effort mis dans cet albums. 7/10
I didn't know what to expect based on the album cover, band name, or the Wiki description for that matter. My expectations were a bit low based on the release year, to be honest. And I'm a fool, because this blew me away. The second half of this album in particular is stacked with great songs--lyrically, melodically, and instrumentally. This is another one where I'm grateful to have started this generator journey so I could hear this. I might have to get this on wax, actually. Highlights: Nocturnal Me, Thorn of Crowns, The Killing Moon, Seven Seas
Мне нравится арт. А музыка, ну, ниче??? Типа ниче такая, ниче... ничего. Грустная только, вокалист просто помирает постоянно. Ну не
Can't help but picture a young William Shatner as their singer for some reason.
Side B better than Side A. Probably a 3.5 rounded down.
Pretty good album.
Great 80's staple. underrated band.
There is plenty of drama going on with this album and a decent amount of variation, musically speaking. It had a coherence of sound which I liked. Plenty of decent songs as well with Nocturnal Me, YoYo Man, Killing Moon, My Kingdom and Ocean Rain being the standouts.
The Killing Moon is the standout track. The rest was ok. An improvement on their debut album Crocodiles
Two mind blowing songs and tge rest is just good, want to like it more than i do for that reason.....
Loved having a reason to listen to this whole album again, it's great. Killing Moon is outstanding.
Listening carefully, I've noticed that the lyrics are 90% incoherent bullshit. The backing is nice enough jingly guitar stuff. It's devoid of anything interesting, really though.
I'd listened to this a several times over the past few years. It's a decent album, but The Killing Moon is the jewel in the crown.
The Killing Moon as best known song. Cool alternative rock.
Love the first four echo albums. This one is more orchestral and the production is lusher which I think they never pulled back from as they moved forward, but so much cool stuff on this. Probably the most hooky Echo album, nonsense lyrics and all (cuh cuh cabbage). My kingdom I swear starts with an opening that was an influence of Ian Broudie pre-lightning seeds, but I guess this album he didn't produce. Once again, Will Sargeant is just an absolute genius.
Cool sound, like a Sunday cleaning day vibe
Not super compelling; good background music
очередная порция о боже где я это уже слышала. норм но чуть более подвывающе чем мне приятно (гёрл юл би э вуман сун вайбз)
Have not heard Silver in 30 years and every word flooded right back from the first notes. Goddamn I miss this band. “C-c-cucumber, c-c-cauliflower, c-c-cabbage.” Yes, they really did that. Gothy, weird, dramatic and fun. Cool kids my age know every note of Killing Moon. There’s probably a clockwise kicking, swaying dance to go with it. And Ian McCulloch is great to sing along with. Fabulous hits off this album. Still sound excellent. Don’t love all of this, but the good stuff makes it 4/5.
Not really great. I used to listen to a lot of this style of music. I was aware of them and probably heard a song or two, but that never really enticed me to listening to an entire album of theirs. Can't really explain why. I like the style overall, and that it was done well, but it didn't mesh with me. That's surprising and something I can't explain.
Very Cool.
A few books in the mix
Pretty cool mid-80s alt rock. The Killing Moon is particularly good. I also liked the song Noctornal Me. It still sounds a little dated overall, but I did enjoy the album.
80s music just doesn't sit well with me. I dread it everytime I see it come up.
Nocturnal me and the Killing Moon are both songs I've heard before by Echo And The Bunnymen and they seem to be good indicators of the style of music. I enjoyed the album.
Extremely bland. Their hit "The Killing Moon" is bearable.
“The Killing Moon” alone gets this to a 3.5 for me. There are a few others I like as well. I was not as into this band at the time of this albums release as I was into more of the 80’s rock. I came to appreciate them much more later. So unique for the time and influential for other great bands to come later in the new wave and alternative sound. 3.5/5 rounding up
It’s clear that by the time of this album the Bunnymen were nearing their peak. And some would argue that peak would not be reached until three years later with Lips Like Sugar. But The Killing Moon remains to this day a top song on many “best of” lists including my own. The variety and expansion of instruments on this one elevates it and further cements it and the band as one of the more unique standouts at the time. Ian McCulloch’s voice continues to be one immediately identifiable and in a sea of 80s new wave, punk, hair metal this album set a new standard and rose to the top as a true alternative.
So very 80s but appreciate the more darker dare I say spooky sounds of this. Didn’t blow me away but still a good listen.
Another band that’s apparently essential that i just can’t get into. The Killing Moon is great, but the rest of the album didn’t do much for me. 2.75/5
Not listened yet
Pretty solid all around. Some meh songs on hit but you've got some classic hits too
Feels kinda gothy & The Smiths-y. Almost aimless and unstructured in the songwriting/melodies? Feels both original and unoriginal at the same time. Not my cup of tea.
Echoey instruments, layered vocals, good fun
The Killing Moon Seven Seas
Took me too long to realize Kyles played them before. The Killing Moon. Nocturnal Me - “oh take me internally”
cool
I dug this, but not as much as I thought I would. This reminded me a lot of Arcade Fire, so I'm very grateful it exists. But moment to moment I tend to enjoy other stuff in this vein a bit more than I enjoy this.
Monotonous
The Killing Moon is a classic but the rest is pretty average.
Lemme grab my Oxfam coat. 10/10 would 80s again.
It's a fine album but nothing about it speaks to me. With no nostalgic connection to it, the album just feels a bit too dated.
Niet heel bijzonder naar mijn mening. Het is een soort psychrock achtig album, maar niet dat ik denk dat ik al die tijd iets gemist heb. Het is een prima album, maar ik sla niet steil achterover terwijl ik roep WAAR WAS JE AL DIE TIJD!?!?!?
This is 80’s ick IMO. We get some tracks that are just happy and upbeat, and then we get tracks that try to take themselves too seriously and come across as Uber cringe. I’m not as high as everyone else on here apparently as it pertains to post punk, but this was really flat to me. I didn’t have a single track that gripped me like I usually find. As the album progresses, I find myself checking the time and becoming more frustrated. This will deff need a re-listen at some point, as maybe I’m listening in the wrong perspective.
This is giving me The Cure vibes and it is post punk. I always love albums like this that their biggest song is deep in the album because that means that people had to listen deep into a record to find the "best song." As a full product what I like outweighs what was contrived and okay and I want to listen to more of their stuff. The Killing Moon is such a great song. The brits are so good at making abstract poetic songs i feel like the lyricism in brit pop and rock is so much more poetic than others idk. In seven seas he says tortoise weird so I can't respect this album anymore. Ocean Rain is a beautiful song, and the instrumentation carries this to another level I need to hear this with a full orchestra. These guys are ripe for a Gen Z, Jeff Buckley or Deftones renaissance I feel it. This is a 8/10 for me closer to a 7
Probably peak E@tB. Lovely orchestration. I do think there are some weaker tracks which brings the score down a bit.
Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Mix: wirklich dünn Musik: fühl ich insgesamt nicht so richtig Wertung: 🌛🌛(🌛)/5 (inkl. +1 für "The Killing Moon")
This is a stunning album. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-ocean-rain-by-echo-and?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Very much a Cure inspired Brit pop band. Maybe I’m just disenchanted by this stuff, or I just don’t have the ability to appreciate it. The music is creative enough and I like the spacey elements, along with the guitar noodling. I am not so tuned into the shakey vocals or the break from cohesive consistency. Overall some good songs.
I am not sure why it is so special
I liked this
pretty good but not for me
Ew. Awful
Beautiful 🩵
This was so good, I didn't see this coming. It sounds 10 years ahead of it's time, like a precursor to the alt rock of the '90s (I'm hearing an early R.E.M. sound at times, but that's probably underselling it, I also got The National at times). The sound is big and orchestral, but the singer isn't overwhelmed by the background instruments. They manage to pull off this ambience that's slightly unsettling or haunting, while still being incredibly enjoyable to listen to. Ian McCulloch's voice is awesome, dramatic and powerful. The biggest knock on this is that there's a bit of a weak stretch on songs 3-5. It starts off great with "Silver" and the really uneasy sounding "Nocturnal Me", but then the next three songs are a bit weaker in comparison ("Crystal Days" is ok, I don't actually like "The Yo Yo Man" all that much but the plinking sounds in the middle are weird and interesting enough to hear again, similarly the guitar riff on "Thorn of Crowns" is pretty cool). Although I'm listening a second time and they're still pretty decent, weaker than the rest but there's still something interesting happening on each song. The B-side is absolutely top tier though. It starts with their best-known song "The Killing Moon" which is iconic (fateeeee....up against your willllll). "Seven Seas" is almost just as good though to follow, and "My Kingdom" and "Ocean Rain" are beautiful to finish. I also really like the album cover, the purple background is cool. This was really awesome, a perfect example of what I've loved about this album thing. This is making its way into the rotation for sure, I hit play again as soon as it ended. Favorite song: The Killing Moon Other: Silver, Nocturnal Me, Crystal Days, The Yo Yo Man, Thorn of Crowns, Seven Seas, My Kingdom, Ocean Rain 3/16/24
favourite: silver, thorn of crowns, the killing moon least favourite: the yo yo man this album is great mayb 7-8/10
The orchestral elements along with the eerie and gothic vocal performances certainly help to push this album's rather dark but also sort of large soundscapes on tracks like Nocturnal Me and The Yo Yo Man. Some of the weaker tracks like Thorn of Crowns and the closing track are more understated in these aspects so they're not as memorable in that regard. On another note is it just me or does bro sound like he moaning doing those "aaah"s on Thorn of Crowns
perfectly ok
A decent listen (unfortunately I had a busy day when I tried to listen, and wasn't able to full focus). "The Killing Moon" is the obvious standout track, but I am biased because I really liked Donnie Darko in highschool. The rest of the album was solid, with some catchy tracks and an interesting sound. I think I will revisit, so 4 stars.
I found the music creative, but alas, I just did not click much with this. I did vibe with The Killing Moon and My Kingdom, but that's two - I feel like this music needs an experience or a movie or something to go with it to help, which is fine.
Soooooooo good
There’s a line in “High Fidelity,” which this band is mentioned in btw, that says “I just want something I can ignore.” That about sums this up. Was it bad? No. Was it deserving of this list? Probably. Would I listen again? If there was nothing else and I needed to ignore something with music playing, then yes I would.
Didn't hate it. Didn't love it. Better than most of the albums I have had suggested so far.
Fine, but nothing special.
This band should have been much bigger. The year this came out, "Footloose" was the #4 song on the Billboard Year-End top 100 list. "Let's Hear It for the Boy" wasn't too far behind, along with "Self Control" (Laura Branigan) and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (Stevie Wonder is awesome, but that song is not). Alternative rock was still very alternative and not easy to find. R.E.M. was still on IRS records, U2 was just beginning to get attention, and The Cure had yet to release Head on the Door. Juxtaposed against additional albums that followed in its footsteps, this may not stand out, but at the time, Echo and the Bunnymen were one of the best alternative bands in existence, and this album should be listened to in the context of its time. This is an excellent, overlooked (at the time) album and band. 4 stars
The Killing Moon is an amazing song, but the rest of the album is strong as well.
Not hooked
This album was good. I liked it's carefree sound. The string were nice and the vocals were good. Nothing striking that blew me away, and contemporaries that released similar albums were much better (Stone Roses self-titled comes to mind). 3/5.
Standard brit soft pop
Reminds me a little of the cure.
Bit dull
Interesting album, nice and varied - I always thought Echo.... were a modern band and sounded nothing like this.
Some really stand out songs, but some don’t hit quite as hard. More of a 3.5 star, but Nocturnal Me is just so good
I actually own this on CD and it is pretty good. Not good enough for 5 stars though.
Echo and the Bunnymen have a unique sound I'd describe as 60s psychedelic rock meets post punk and new wave. In contrast to a lot of their contemporaries, I appreciate Ian Mccullochs direct, wide awake vocals (anyone else thinks he sounds like young Neil Diamond here?). It's nice to understand the words, even if I'm still not quite sure what he's yelling about. Although I wasn't familiar with any of these songs, in a lot of ways this album exemplifies the characteristics I think of as English counter culture pop. I honestly like all of the tracks, though I'm not sure I love any of them, with my main gripe being most of them just go on too long. Favorites are Silver, Crystal Days, and Seven Seas. I'd definitely give this one a listen again.
80’s rock with an orchestra. I fell asleep listening to it but what I heard was ok.
This was pretty good. I enjoyed the listen. I was unfamiliar with this group before. Not the best thing to come out of 1984, but worth the listen for sure!
Didn’t we already do this? One album from this group is enough.
Floaty and different. A style all right. Pleasant enough. A dissembling ensures. At the end of side A this albums feels stuck between two rocks, or feeble buttcheaks of anaemia and constipation. Cold cheddar English ale. “Thorn of crowns” is the Grail for unadorned awkwardness - a musical In flagrante delicto moment? Yup, a salute to Springsteen’s State Trooper, and - necessarily - the stark shrieking of the the signature sound on the (self titled?) album Suicide ... which is on this list, and hard going but a definitive listening moments you wont equal or want to . But unexpectedly, the album kind of has resurrection moment and soars after this messy jouissance. The hit “Killing Moons” emerges from what was destroyed The bridel.corset is off; the horse/man stripped bare, it finally gallops out of hesitant adolescence, full throated and past the rain. Shine England 3.5?
Killing Moon is one of the 80’s great British singles. As good now as it was 40 years ago. Silver & Seven Seas were, predictably the follow-up singles. They used the 35-piece orchestra well. I really liked the variety of ways songs would begin - the brushes on Yo Yo Man; the slightly distorted guitar on Thorn Of Crowns; whatever it is (squeezebox?) on My Kingdom; double bass on the title track. An easy listen.
Oof, are Echo and the Bunnymen possibly the most overrated band of all time? Certainly, if you listen to how they describe themselves ('the greatest album of all time!"), and they could never possibly live up to their own hype. Obviously, 1001 albums love them, as there are three (THREE!) of their albums on this list, of which this is probably the best. Orchestral arrangements that walk the tightrope, staying just on the right side of bombastic. The lyrics are not nearly as clever as Ian McCullough thinks they are ('Thorn of Crowns', amirite?), which makes them The Doors of the 1980s. And they have dated about as well (i.e., they have a shrinking fanbase that are convinced that they are all that and a bag of chips, but the rest of the world shrugs). That said, Killing Moon is a real cracker of a song, distinctive, spooky, soaring, and side two of the original vinyl is generally pretty damn good. But not as good as they think they are.
Orchestral infused post punk with the melody to the fore. Instant, accessible, interesting and cool. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: The Killing Moon Date listened: 12/02/24
Meh
Some decent songs
Very 80s jangle-pop, which is not even nearly my kind of thing. A bit more interesting than some of their peers, with a slight gothic edge to the sound, but still fairly forgettable. The most memorable track is "The Killing Moon" - which is rightly more famous than all the other songs put together!
Just don't like this band.
Loved it in the day. Happy to listen again now. Still love it! I forgive the pretentious ridiculous lyrics because the album as a whole sounds so great.
13 in een dozijn gitaarmuziek. Niet slecht, zeker niet bijzonder.
It's fine. Interesting but didn't blow me away.
Zzzzzzzzzzzz. It's fine.
Beautiful
Nice rock by - once again - a band which I did not know until now (although the name was familiar).
It was short. That's the best thing about it. It wants to be what the Cure became but it doesn't see what's going to make that work.
Loved it the ballad style is a dream
The back of this album really saved it. Its not bad!
Boring pop/rock.
Not bad, decent sound to it
Listening to this album feels like playing around with a sensory bottle. At first, you are intrigued and entertained by the colorful waviness. But after a few minutes you are left with only indifference.
Neopsicodelia. Bastante rollo. Un 2.
it hits that good spot of being quirky and strange but not unlistenable. I dont know if I'll search out anything else by them, but liked this entry.
Weird but fun! Good energy. 4/5
#107. I bet 90% of the people that like this say things like "You wouldn't have heard of them," "I liked them before they were cool" [they were never cool], and "I haven't listened to the radio since 2009" 2/5: I've already forgot what this album sounded like. Song added to playlist: The Killing Moon I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
A couple of tracks are excellent
Brilliant!
Love the sound of the guitar on this record Will revisit. Currently a really high 3
Ok
I was hoping the rest of the album lived up to the one song I knew off of it, the one song everybody knows. Alas, there’s a reason why after all this time it’s the only breakout from the album. The rest is pretty lack-luster compared.
Amazing use of strings, a beautiful album that keeps my attention, solid melodies and includes what I think is their best sone, The Killing Moon.
Not for me. It's an automatic 1 for Mr Rabbit. (Even though I did listen to the album, I found nothing of interest)
feels very '60s psychedelic
not memorable
the smiths but with less catchy melody and less interesting vocalist (the two things that make me love the smiths).
I can see how this album was great when it came out. But for me its was just ok.
Rating: 8/10 Great album, really enjoyed the orchestral elements throughout. The instrumentation was great, the orchestral elements were perfect to create a beautiful atmosphere. The singer complemented this well with his style, not technical but it matched the music well. There were many catchy vocal and instrumental melodies throughout the album, the best songs benefited from having all of these characteristics. Favorite songs: Silver, Nocturnal Me, Crystal Days, The Killing Moon, Seven Seas. Least favorite song: The Yo Yo Man.
Interesting Album, like the sounds and style, for me it was compairabale with Men at Work and early INXS records.
Not my fav of their albums but good
Немного напомнило атмосферой Morphine. При этом как-то музыкально очень круто в меня попало. В целом хочется запомнить сегодняшний момент:)
Bisschen wie die Beatles in melancholisch. Kann man sich mal anhören, muss ich aber nicht jeden Tag haben.
Love this album so much. The Killing Moon has become one of the most used songs on TV and movie soundtracks and for good reason. The rest of the tracks are just as strong.
Favourite tracks: silver; killing moon; nocturnal me; ocean rain
This was pretty alright the artist/singer had some pretty good talent
I quite enjoyed this one. 4/5
I knew this album was going to be good, but I don't think I was ready for how brilliant it was. Start to finish, it never drops, and the peak of Killing Moon is fantastic. What a great collection of songs this is. The final two tracks pack an emotional heft that other similar bands simply can't find. If this Project does little else, I reckon it's confirmed EATB as the finest band of the 80s for me.
Great album. Can hear all kinds of influences from the 60s and 70s, and recognise loads of bands from later who were influenced by it, but it still could only be from the mid 80s.
We have the cure at home! The cure at home:
Felt like is was listening to the cure?
Irgendwie nicht wirklich melodisch oder besonders rythmisch
I always feel like I have to say something about my 5* albums, so I’ll try for this one. This is my second listen (as it is for all of the 5* albums, except Village Green Preservation Society retroactively) but before I listened to it, I was already drawn to this album by the album cover, which looks about exactly like how the music sounds. My favorite songs on it are “The Killing Moon” and “The Yo-Yo Man” but all of the songs have potential to keep growing on me in the future.
I didn't really know what to expect with this one. I had sort of heard killing moon previously in passing. Being greeted with an orchestra from the start was a surprise. This album is melodic, yet broody. Post punk meets goth. I really enjoyed it.
Hmmmm....lots of noise about E&TB when they 1st burst out if Liverpool. This album sounds great and somewhat edgy and a bit well, gothy and ethereal but definitely runs out of steam after, Silver, Lips like sugar and the exceptional Killing Moon. Could be better and bit lacking ideas after all that.
Nothing to write home about.
New wave is much more my jam.
I've listened to this album before in the past and it didn't really stick. Glad I got to give it another go because I really enjoyed it. The Killing Moon is so good, it feels like a resolution to a story. Still some weird / boring tracks in there but I think it's worth it.
not for me
Very good.
Not my favorite New-Wave band, but a good album and "The Killing Moon" is an all time classic track.
I wish I found this album in high school
*Ocean Rain* is a topsy-turvy affair at times. Nonetheless, its second side is near-perfect, and there are enough gems on the first side to make it the magnum opus it is for Echo And The Bunnymen. The centerpiece of the album alone, "The Killing Moon", makes it "essential". And even for less stellar tracks, a lot of the pristine, sophisticated arrangements bring a charm that the well-mannered secondary compositions didn't have as "barebones songs". Impressive work overall. 4/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential records", which translates to a 9/10 grade for more general purposes (5+4) Number of albums left to review: 354 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 293 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 154 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 206
20/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 This is not nearly interesting enough, musically speaking, to be as pretentious as it manages to be. Also, the vocals have a Bonoesque quality about them. Ew. It barely made two stars, because I've heard worse.
Dreary yet dreamy. New wave, but drenched with orchestra and atmosphere. Deserves further study. All I want to say is, "a proper goth record"? That's a compliment. Favorite tracks: "Thorn of Crowns", "The Killing Moon"
I got a little bored at times but it's still a pretty good album. I appreciate the effort and their willingness to try something new.
Pleasant surprise. In the first few songs I think I've heard a lot of David Bowie inspration. 3.5/5.
J'ai eu l'impression d'avoir déjà écouté cet album. Ne s'est pas démarqué pour moi, sans être mauvais. Je l'ai trouvé presque générique
Always been a fan of The Bunnymen - McCulloughs unique vocals lift them above other similar bands at the time. Seven Seas and Killing Moon the standout tracks here.
Enjoyable slice of 80s. Killing Moon is a classic.
I wanted to like this more than I did. The Killing Moon is classic, the rest is okay. I'd be willing to give this one another try.
Nice
Okay album. The highlights here are “The Killing Moon” and “Seven Seas” The lowlight here is “Thorn of Crowns”.
Sounds a lot like an early 54-40… maybe a touch more 80s feel to it. Nothing really pops out, nothing I remember from the radio, but musically, totally fine. Low 3
SOUnds damiliar
Too many bland UK rock bands so far.
No real positives from this album.
I really like "Killing Moon." Most of the other songs didn't do it for me. It has a very dramatic "Moody Blues" kind of sound.
很活泼的80年代音乐，但相对来说不是我的菜
the single does a lot of heavy lifting here, idk some of the songs didn’t do it for me. maybe i just need another listen.
Idky but soothing to listen to and a lot of recognizable songs on here as well. Melodic
I couldnt STAND this album. Because i was in office I listened to it, but this band is not my thing.
Yea not for me really but killing moon is awesome.
😊
Wasn’t super into it and probably wouldn’t have found or listened to the album on my own but I’m glad to listen to new stuff. The second track did give me some crusader vibes on the way to work though.
3.5 similar to cure and heads, just not close enough, can see the influence
Right off the bad looking at the album cover and having never heard of this band I am excited for this listen love when they throw something like this at us. Yeah this is some good new wave shit really love the kinda “airy” sound from the guitar and they use the violin(s?) beautifully to fill space big fan. I think it takes me a while to get into an album cause I always feel like my favourites are on the back half whenever we listen to a new album. My top dogs on here are thorn of crowns, killing moon, seven seas, ocean rain (beautiful) and my number 1 my kingdom it’s a bop that guitar is sick and is going into my new wave playlist 100%. yeah never heard of these guys but they’re a great listen wasn’t blown away by much it was all objectively good except for my kingdom that was a huge stand out. Would most certainly consider getting this on vinyl -B (unny boy)
Idk if y’all have ever listened to the cure like their actual albums but they are imo pretty hard to listen to like very atmospheric this album to me kinda sounds like what I wanted to get out of listening to the cure if that makes sense
Pretty mid, didn’t like the voice. Sounds like a band Coldplay was inspired by but ended up doing everything better. Interesting concepts I guess
Pretty good album. I had never heard of them before and there we’re definitely some bangers. I think I need to listen to it more for it to really hit. I really liked The Killing Moon.
Definitely unique, but didn't quite make me fall in love with it 3
Don't have a ton to say about this one which is perhaps damning on its own. It was fine, but I struggle to even pick out a standout song. A lot of albums on this list seem ahead of their time in production value and this is not one of them. I was surprised to read this is from 1984 rather than the 60s. Sonically inoffensive but meh earns it a 2. Song going on my "1001 Songs" Playlist: The Killing Moon Songs Going On My "1001 Albums Savelist" Playlist: None
Other than "under a killing moon," there wasn't a song I would go back and listen to again.
Blind album, not artist. I also have the hit song liked...? The album is okay. I love the use of strings but the vocalists voice just doesn't appeal to me.
I could've sworn I had already gotten this album because the cover looked really familiar so I went through my history and found that I've had not one but two of Echo's albums before. I vaguely remember like one song total from those two combined and won't remember anything about this one either aside from the killing moon, which basically saves this album. It's very similar to the a-ha and soft cell albums in that this had basically nothing going for it aside from the one song that's really good and was super popular. Boring post-punk/new wave trash then like 4 minutes of good shit then trash again. Unlike Take on me, though, killing moon isn't good enough for the entire album to get a 3.
Interesting New Wave record. Sometimes sounds like Robert Smith singing. Album cover looks gloomy, I like it. + Silver + Thorn of Crowns + The Killing Moon (didn't know this was used in Donnie Darko) + Seven Seas + My Kingdom + Ocean Rain
Its rather iconic. Even if its not your thing, you have to admire it.
A little weird in a very 80s way
Feels like post-punk Liverpool - like you’re in a wet basement listening to the band record, in a good way. Ocean Rain, The Killing Moon, and Seven Seas were standout tracks
Really weird 80s album. Ton of synthesizer etc
Talking Heads is that you?? No part of me is begging to relisten to this
Killing Moon, Silver
The Killing Moon già sentita
I love an album that can really build an atmosphere. Ocean Rain is spooky, dark, and mystical, as though I'm wading through a shadowy forest with only a lantern in hand, and the sound of wolves howling in the distance. It's also peak '80s new wave that falls on the darker side of the spectrum. Standout songs are obviously The Killing Moon, but also Silver.
stand out track - The Killing Moon
60’s psychedelic meets 80’s synthwave. Not bad
3.5
60/100
This album gets better and better every time I hear it. Rating: 4.8
Haven’t played the whole thing but I did like what I heard.
I imagine a flower field after a stormy, cold day. Somehow the flowers are intact and they glistening under the sun like there never was a storm.
The orchestra is cool. 7/10.
I like this! Reverb-heavy 80’s alt-rock with lots of dramatic and theatrical flourishes. Reminds me of early U2.
I love the theatrical "Nocturnal Me". The snare drum rolls, the strings, the emotive vocals, it really stood out to me. This was a nice album with a lot to like. I enjoyed the vocalist, the band, and the expansion of sounds that they added beyond a typical rock / singer songwriter instrumentation. The only downside for me was that I'm not sure too much of it will be memorable, in fact I couldn't really remember a melody or even the band name when I came back to this after listening yesterday.
Not bad
8/10. These guys have grown on me
These guys have 3 albums on the list?!? I guess this was about as good as the other two. 7/10
Very dated 80's punk/psychedelia. Not for me.
This album was great, some kinda weird lyrics and the killing moon (the only song I knew from it) was definitely the stand out but it’s still really good and I’ll give it a 5.
8/10
absolutely haunting
Not my thing.
Absolutely iconic album & album cover. I'll never forget the times I saw The Bunnymen live. The first time was pure magic, but the second time was an utter mess thanks to Ian's alcoholism...but I digress. The Killing Moon is superb, and the video is essential 80s goth. The rest of the album is dark & romantic. I could go on about how Ian is a huge wanker, but the music he made with his band is wonderful. This album, along with others of its time, is part of my regular listening. Fantastic album.
How many fucking Echo and the Bunnymen records are on this list? At least this one has “Killing Moon”.
Glemte visst å rata detta, men da e litt skuffande. Forvente liksom at alt skal vær på høyde med The Killing Moon
Kinda enjoyed this. Plus, hearing the original version of "The Killing Moon" after knowing and loving the Ghost version was a big plus.
Totally unremarkable. It felt like an 80s album. No need to revisit
This album was a decent enough listen, I particularly enjoyed The Killing Moon. But I probably wouldn't be listening to the album in full again
eh
"Ocean Rain" is the fourth studio album by English post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen. The album was produced by members of the band, Gil Martin and Henri Loustau. To their post-punk and new wave sound they added a 35-piece orchestra and more acoustic guitar to the songs. The album initially received mix reviews and commercially hit #4 in the UK and #87 in the US. A strumming acoustic guitar and strings begin the second single "Silver." A melodic electric guitar. Lead singer Ian McCulloch delivers strong vocals. An exhilarating ending. I think it's about someone outside yourself that can free you, supposedly his wife. Guitarist Will Sergeant delivers an Eastern-style guitar in "Thorn of Crowns." The guitar and music sound like "The End" by the Doors. McCulloch is randomly yelping and he sounds like the lead singer from Suicide. Always a fan of the soft-loud-soft. McColluch said the lyrics had no meaning. But, it's still a pretty good song. "The Killing Moon" was the first single and has that classic guitar open with a prominent bass and drum backing. Sergeant said the guitar was inspired by a Russian balalaika. The seductive pace and mood. No one has control over death. The acoustic guitar takes the lead on "Seven Seas." An underlying electric guitar. A great vocal chorus and the strings take this into grandiose territory. McCulloch goes a capella at the start of the closer "Ocean Rain." It's a slow and dreamy song. The song gains momentum with the strings and guitar. A nice song. There's a lot to like on this album; the strings bring more drama. A prominent bass. Great drumming. The acoustic guitar is in the kead a lot. The electric guitar is underlying and melodic. McColluch's distinct vocals. Imagery in the lyrics particularly of water...lots of water. Ther's more here than just "The Killing Moon" but that alone makes this worth a listen.
I only knew of Killing Moon from Rock Band 3. Was curious about their music, but not enough to go seek it out. The album is just OK. Nothing was very memorable. I did like the clean sound, but sometimes there was just too little going on. I think I prefer the Cure, who are similar but the songs are catchier.
Honestly, not really my thing. Came across as pretentious to me.
I like a few tracks. bit sure how quick I would relisten to the album. didn't complete the whole album
Vreemd toch, dat als je een bandje begint en wat muziek gaat maken, je al snel gevangene bent van je eigen tijd. Je maakt een beetje wat de anderen ook maken, doet hun manier van zingen na, doet op de zelfde manier interessant. Kortom, hét recept om iets uiterst vergeetbaars te maken.
3e album van deze lui al. Terwijl het niet boven het maaiveld uitkomt. Dit album is wel het beste van de 3. Soms hebben nummers wel een grappig element, zoals van de Yo Yo Man. Maar echt spannend wordt het niet.
Driemaal is scheepsrecht, we krijgen eindelijk the Killing Moon. De andere 2 albums waren typische 3-sterren albums, maar ondanks dat Killing Moon hier op staat en nog een slipstream hitje, komt dit toch niet boven het maaiveld uit. Wederom middle of the road.
Not bad. Not very memorable either, but it was a decent enough listen.
Somewhat more experimental than their debut, but still a wonderfully produced album that somehow sounds bright, yet moody all at once. I wasn't as big of a fan of the middle of the album but the back half to me is where it really shines, especially the guitar work on songs like My Kingdom, the anthemic quality and orchestral nature of The Killing Moon, and the somber nature of the title track which is the closer. It's overall a good post rock record with a lot of symphonic and new wave elements throughout.
Decent sounding but nothing special to me
not that interesting
Really enjoyed this album! Listened 10 times and really fell in love with every track.
Maybe it's because everything sounds better through my headphones, but I kinda liked this. Better than the other Echo album.
Second Bunnymen album on this list, and about the same as the last. A couple of decent songs , but overall fairly boring.
i think i liked porcupine a little better. this is good, but it's a little less exciting than most of porcupine and it just feels less unique.
Not bad by any means, it just does nothing for me
Kinda bland, although it has one or two okay tracks. It has a kinda wanky new-wave aesthetic that I'n not a big fan of
Moody and dark careened with a bit of light and airy, a band that enjoys the macabre and theatrics, and a 60s pop filled spirit. Its like unexpectedly biting in to a chocolate chip cookie with rich dark chocolate: the sweetness is mixed with a bitter cocoa flavor in a rich mixture when you were expected the usual.
Chance delivered two albums nearly in a row by this band I'd heard of but never listened to previously. This was shorter and seemed to me considerably wierder than the prior one. Not necessarily to its benefit.
Meh, not for me
Prima album, wel coole sound. Af en toe wat matige nummers, veel goede.
80s popmuziek, beetje 13 in een dozijn.
Heard nothing that The Cure weren't doing 10 times better at the time. The Seven Mary Three of 80s gothiness
The Killing Moon.
This is incredible. I only really knew them from The Killing Moon (which I love). I hear where all my bands come from in this though. Like Arcade Fire, The Killers, Coldplay and Radiohead. This is of its time in the best way.
Decent enough
3/9, 33%
Good to listen to in the same mood as listening to the doors.
3.5
Above average. First few songs are really great! 3.5
other album we listened to by these guys was better
(4-) Ни одна песня не запоминается. Несмотря на это, альбом звучит довольно красиво и приятно. Но всё же, для меня пост-панк в первую очередь — это протест. Хочу ли я вернуться к этому альбому? Вряд-ли.
Obviously The Killing Moon is an all-time great song, the other singles are okay too (but there are still better Echo songs), album tracks didn't leave an impact. Not bad overall, but I was expecting a bit more. 3.5/5
One good song
Self important drivel. The music video for Seven Seas is extra bad.
I love Echo but this album sounds like a band trying WAY too hard. Has some great songs but not a great overall album
Brighter from the first notes compared to earlier records, as if the ocean rain was a sunshower. The band is growing and expanding their palette, with hookier hooks, sweeter melodies and more layers. The strings are mostly additive and not too somber. The “hits" are all as good/smooth/hummable as one remembers. Love the driving, biting guitar and the twin (yet too brief) solos on “My Kingdom.” The mini-jam on “Thorn of Crowns” is also good but too short and controlled (genre hazard, one supposes) – how much did they let it rip live?, one wonders, never having got to see them. Right balance of arty edginess and warm approachability. Title cut is quasi-lovely and perfectly contextualized closer. 4.2
I liked it. Feels like a mixture of U2 and David Byrne.
I was a bit disappointed by this I’ve known the Killing Moon for years and it’s one of my favourite songs but I’d never listened to one of their albums. There was just nothing else remotely as good as The killing moon A shame. Not bad at all but maybe I went in with expectations that just couldn’t be matched
Meh.
Loved it!
2.5
Well, this was certainly a pop-rock/new-wave album. While not the worst thing ever, in general, I find new wave kind of boring. It's not even that slower and more poppy stuff is bad, I just never really got into it. With that in mind, this album is fine I suppose. The parts of this album that really got me were the use of string instruments. The first two tracks in particular are standouts for that reason. Generally, I enjoyed the album when it was a bit more experimental on tracks like Thorn of Crowns. The final track, the titular piano-esque ballad, was also pretty good. While new wave ain't really my thing, I'd say this album was pretty decent. While most of the tracks sunk into the background, none were bad and the ones that stood out truly did so. Maybe, 7/10.
bangers
I enjoy this but it’s not 1001 for me
First listening fell short for me, to be honest. The album sounded two-dimensional, which is super odd given the arrangements seemed pretty elaborate, and the lyrics landed as either rambling or senselessly disjointed (I'm looking at you 'Thorn of Crowns'). And yet, while I listened to the album, I couldn't hear it and not think of Frightened Rabbit; I had to give it another chance. Yeah, nope. Still not into it. At least I'm listening to 'The Midnight Organ Fight' now, so I've got that going for me.
It's alright, but it's a little bland and forgettable.